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Machine missing. Do I have any recourse?


lowcountry Dan

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I had candy machine at a grocery store chain.  It is now owned by another chain. I went in yesterday to service it and it was gone.  I talked to management. They took my phone number and said they'd call me. I know that a vendor picked up his spiral gumball machine.  I made it very clear that this machine is my personal property and I'd need to be compensated if they cannot find it. 

 

I have had a machine stolen, but never thrown away.  I made it known that  they cannot discard people's personal property. I asked why they did not set it aside as all reasonable people do? 

 

Do I have any recourse?  Can I get compensated for my loss? 

 

Thank you for any advice. 

 

 

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Sorry that happened to you Dan. I think the best course of action is for you to write a letter to corporate about what happened to you, the value of the machine and a request for compensation. I would include the name of the manager you talked to AND his admission that they threw your property away when they moved into the building.

You might get lucky here. Generally, new ownership isn't honest and/or stupid enough to acknowledge they were the ones who discarded a vendor's machines.

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Bad choices all around. If you didnot have a written contract with the previous owners you have no recourse. Even if you did have a contract it would not be binding on a new owner unless that Was I the contract.

I am afraid all you have done is possibly alienate a potential commercial stop. Not trying to pick a fight but pretty poor salesmanship.

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I had candy machine at a grocery store chain. It is now owned by another chain. I went in yesterday to service it and it was gone. I talked to management. They took my phone number and said they'd call me. I know that a vendor picked up his spiral gumball machine. I made it very clear that this machine is my personal property and I'd need to be compensated if they cannot find it.

I have had a machine stolen, but never thrown away. I made it known that they cannot discard people's personal property. I asked why they did not set it aside as all reasonable people do?

Do I have any recourse? Can I get compensated for my loss?

Thank you for any advice.

You have no recourse move on

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You didn't mention why the store got rid of your machine? I would approach the manager and fid out if they contracted another company, or if they just didn't know whos machines they were. Then I would try to use their conscience to allow you to put in a rack with a contract to provide all services. Might turn a bad situation good. If that don't work then I'd try to see if they would a least replace or compensate your machine. Then peacefully move on and but=y another off of c l.

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I had candy machine at a grocery store chain. It is now owned by another chain. I went in yesterday to service it and it was gone. I talked to management. They took my phone number and said they'd call me. I know that a vendor picked up his spiral gumball machine. I made it very clear that this machine is my personal property and I'd need to be compensated if they cannot find it.

I have had a machine stolen, but never thrown away. I made it known that they cannot discard people's personal property. I asked why they did not set it aside as all reasonable people do?

Do I have any recourse? Can I get compensated for my loss?

Thank you for any advice.

Piggly Wiggly?

I lost a location in west columbia when they sold to BILO last week. I got lucky and was servicing the machine as they were closing so I got my rack. A big company had a 9 way sticker machine and a spiral Gumball on the other door. They hadn't picked it up yet.

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Yes, Nate.  This was a Harris Teeter that took over a Piggly Wiggly.  It was a big deal around here. The first Piggly Wiggly ever is on Meeting St. In Charleston and has been sold too. The owner's house is on the Battery here in Charleston and has 2 bronze pigs out front.   

 

I have talked to and written the head office of Harris Teeter.  I asked for a reasonable amount. Maybe I'll get a HT gift card out of it. The lady I spoke with was very nice, so we'll see.  

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Yes, Nate. This was a Harris Teeter that took over a Piggly Wiggly. It was a big deal around here. The first Piggly Wiggly ever is on Meeting St. In Charleston and has been sold too. The owner's house is on the Battery here in Charleston and has 2 bronze pigs out front.

I have talked to and written the head office of Harris Teeter. I asked for a reasonable amount. Maybe I'll get a HT gift card out of it. The lady I spoke with was very nice, so we'll see.

Many years ago, over 30, I was in high school working late one night at McD's and the manager of the Piggly Wiggly down the street called our store wanting to keep the money from his store at ours overnight because the door to their safe fell off when he opened it. I'll never forget that.

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Any chance you could turn lemons into lemonade?  Maybe you can use their "honest mistake" into leverage to put a more profitable machine there.  If not, write it off and move on.  If you stay in this business it won't be the last time it happens to you, trust me.  Folks ask me "did you call the cops".   That "report" would only be worth the payment it was written on if you got audited and had claimed it as a stolen or lost good. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

This story has a happy ending. Harris Teeter sent me a gift card for $75.00.  That is more than fair for a 4 year old Vendstar machine. 

 

If you have a complaint, always go to the top. It never hurts to plead your case.

 

I will be more mindful of stores changing hands in the future.  I had to pull a machine from a K Mart recently. They are going out of business. 

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